Libertarian Party on Free Trade

Party Platform

Government efforts to control or manage trade are improper

Governments must not violate individual rights; we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others.
They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

Libertarians want all members of society to have
abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in
the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.

Remove governmental impediments to free trade

We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries.
Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property.

Prosperity will come from unrestricted free markets

In order to achieve a free economy, we oppose all government subsidies to business, labor, education, agriculture, science, broadcasting, the arts, sports, or any other special interest. In particular, we condemn
any effort to forge an alliance between government and business under the guise of “industrial policy.”

Source: National Platform of the Libertarian Party
, Jul 2, 2000

Abolish all trade barriers and trade agreements

Subsidies, tariffs and quotas serve to give special treatment to special interests. These measures reduce the understanding among different peoples. We support abolition of trade barriers and government-sponsored export-promotion programs, as well as the
U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Court of International Trade. Concurrent shall be the complete withdrawal from all trade agreements including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the North American Free Trade Agreement.